Digital Commons Network^™

Building 21st Century Business Skills In High School Business Classrooms Using Digital Games And Simulations, Stacy Marcus

Graduate Research Papers

Digital games and simulations are often seen as fun activities to reward students but their potential is much greater. This literature review examined how integrating digital games and simulations into secondary business curriculum can help students build the skills needed for the 21st century workplace in an environment that is conducive to how they learn best. The effects of digital games and simulations on student motivation are also examined as well as how to assess student learning while using these tools. The information found came from peer-reviewed journals, books, and studies from the Web. Digital games and simulations have proven …

Digital Gaming As A Learning Tool : A Literature Review, Seth Weylin Vickers

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature focuses on the uses of digital gaming within learning environments. Using academic journal articles, the author reviews the advantages and disadvantages of using digital games, ways instructors are using digital games, the uses of educational as well as recreational digital games, considerations for implementing digital games, and an overview on the importance of digital security. The benefits include increased motivation, collaboration, and the increased opportunity of a learner potentially entering the flow experience. The disadvantages include health risks as well as some learners' negative attitudes towards digital gaming. The author recommends instructors to consider using digital …

Family Planning And Contraceptives: Benefits, Risks And Recommendations, Noha Noor Fadlalddin

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to assess the risks and benefits of hormonal and nonhormonal contraception. When individuals are aware of the benefits associated with contraceptives use, they are able to choose the method that best works to ensure their health is maintained and pregnancy is prevented. In this document, vital facts concerning contraceptive use are advanced. Additionally, this document has brought to the front the need for women to be extensively involved in analyzing the pros and cons of the available contraceptives and therefore settle on the method that best serves them and does not compromise their health. …

Predicting Reflective Reactions To Rejection Using The Multimodal Model Of Rejection, Abigail Leigh Harris

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Following rejection, people experience both reflexive and reflective reactions. According to the multimodal model of rejection (Smart Richman & Leary, 2009), relational construals surrounding the rejection impact the subsequent reflective behavior. The purpose of this study is to predict the behavior following rejection based on the theoretical model. It is hypothesized that when partner "relationship value" is high, rejection will result in more pro-social behaviors, compared to when partner "relationship value" is low, in which rejection will result in more anti-social behaviors. Though belonging is a fundamental motivation, not all humans exhibit the same level of sensitivity as others. Therefore …

Gender Differences In Maximal Aerobic Capacity In Trained Junior Triathletes, Carson Elliott Christen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The major purpose of this thesis was to determine if there are gender differences in maximal aerobic capacity (V02 max) in trained elite junior triathletes. The study analyzed V02 max data on a treadmill and cycle ergometer to determine potential differences in V02 max. A secondary purpose was to determine if significant differences existed in V02max when determined on a treadmill and cycle ergometer. Previous research has identified males have significantly greater V02 max values compared to females for both absolute (ml°min-1) and relative (ml°kg-1min-1) units. Little information is available on whether or not the gender difference in V02 max …

Ipads Versus Laptops: The Effects Of Mobile Device Interfaces On Students' Attitudes Towards Technology And Learning, Evans Lugalia Mudanya

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Although iPad and laptop interfaces look similar, users interact with them in significantly different ways. The differences in these interfaces may lead to attitudinal differences towards technology and learning. In an attitudinal survey taken by 39 UNI Malcolm Price Laboratory School (MPLS) students, possible attitudinal differences of students based upon the two interfaces were investigated. This preliminary ex-post facto study investigated whether there is any relationship between the type of mobile devices used in a ninth grade English class and the students’ attitudes towards technology and learning. The study also explored if a relationship between attitudes toward technology and learning …

A Consideration Of Positive Behavior Supports Through A Preschool Lens, Theresa J. Stevenson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Positive Behavior Supports is a research-based, systemic approach to supporting . positive behaviors and structured responses to negative behaviors. Positive Behavior Supports, or PBS, has been implemented in multiple elementary schools and classrooms. However, PBS in an early childhood or preschool setting lacks a strong evidence base. This paper provides an overview of PBS and the need for its implementation in early childhood settings. Best practice for PBS implementation, current researched approaches, and the measurement techniques available for use are reviewed.

The Sexual Socialization Of Sexual Offenders: How They Learn About Sexuality And How It Influences Their Future Behaviors, Erin Nicole Ditscheit

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Every day, stories of individuals who have been sexually victimized dominate headline news. Despite the large amount of research conducted on sexual offenders, there is no known single etiology for their offense. This study investigates how sexual socialization plays a role in an offender's sexual attitudes and beliefs. Using data from a sample of 71 convicted sexual offenders from a single district in the Midwest, it was found that there is a relationship between certain media sources and negative attitudes towards women and sexuality. Additionally, by comparing the convicting offense of each of the participants and their attitudes, it was …

In A Complex Plane, Todd Dralle

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is a work of fiction. It is a short novel written to entertain and to explore ideas of identity, family, friendship, and what it takes to find a place in the modem world. It follows a young man named Noah through the events of a single summer as he tries to make sense of his life. Its setting and characters are definitively Iowan, but its events and conflicts speak to the human condition at large. The story's overarching metaphor is the Mandlebrot set, a mathematical sequence of infinite complexity. Through the course of the novel the main character …

Perceptions Of The Motivational Climate, Athletic Identity, And Sport Ethic In Relation To Athletic Injury, Katie Lynn Luzum

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Context: A mastery motivational climate is created when coaches create an environment high in individualized challenges, help is encouraged and given often, athletes help each other learn new skills, and improvement is based on self-referenced goals. In contrast, a performance motivational climate is created when coaches emphasize out performing others, promoting competitiveness, and high ability rather than high effort. Athletes with higher perceptions of a performance climate believe that their teammates are sources of distress and tend to participate in sport for competition while relying solely on ability and high rewards status. Objective: To explore the differences in perceptions of …

Comparing Freshmen And Transfer Student-Athletes To Returning Student Athletes On Stress, Social Support, Anxiety, And Injury Risk, Emily Link

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of transitioning to Division I collegiate athletics on the stress-injury relationship and perceptions of social support. The secondary purpose of this study is to compare entering freshman and transfer student athletes to returning student athletes (sophomore, juniors, seniors, and 5th year seniors) on life and sport stress, sport anxiety, and injury occurrence. The injury stress relationship has been examined since Andersen and Williams designed the stress injury model suggesting that many factors occur that could increase the risk of injuries. Some of these factors include an increase in negative life …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs About Hiv/Aids Among Central African Immigrants Who Live In Cedar Rapids, Ia, Natalie M. Sugira

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to elucidate and understand the HIV/ AIDS knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes among selected Central African immigrants who live in Cedar Rapids, IA. Included in the study was the identification, availability, and accessibility of HIV/AIDS health services tailored to meet the needs of the African immigrants. A convenience sample of20 (10 males and 10 females) African immigrants originally from Burundi and Rwanda were individually interviewed at their homes. The interview instrument was modeled after and utilized questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of the Center for Disease Control (CDC),which were adjusted to …

Managing The Economic Crisis In The Nonprofit Sector, Amy Ranae Costliow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector during 2009, 2010 and 2011. This study will also identify the strategies employed by nonprofit executives to navigate the current economic condition of the United States of America. The researcher compiled data from surveys distributed to nonprofit organizations in six cities across the nation during 2009, 2010 and 2011. After compiling the data collected the researcher utilized frequencies to examine how executive directors dealt with the economic downturn over the past three years. In addition the two way Chi Square was used …

A Novel Method Of Studying Ion Formation And Fragmentation Using A Modified Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer, David S. Ames

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Laser desorption has been an important tool in mass spectrometry. It has been known that an order of magnitude more neutrals than ions are produced during laser desorption. A Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer with an infinitely adjustable acceleration region was constructed to map the population distribution of neutral ion precursors and metastable ions in the flight tube. Desorption was performed by using a nitrogen UV laser at 337 nm. Experiments conclude that the majority of post-source ionization of neutrals occurs approximately 2.5 cm from the sample-laser interface. The intensity of ions tapers rapidly out to 6.0 cm, however ions were detected …

“Where The Blazed Trail Crosses The Boulevard”: Gear, Fashion, And Outfitting In Early Recreational Wilderness Camping, 1880-1920, Brian Beauvais

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, American culture experienced a profound fascination with primitivism, wilderness, and raw nature. Numerous outdoor activities became increasingly popular as Americans sought to revitalize the national vigor they envisioned as inextricably connected to a life close to nature. One of these activities was woodcraft camping; that is, a minimalistic form of wilderness recreation that valued simplicity and self-sufficiency as opposed to luxuriant idleness. Woodcraft campers expressed a deep dissatisfaction with what they considered to be the mind-numbing, spirit-crushing emptiness of modem life. In the wilderness, they beheld one of the remaining vestiges of …

Graduate Recital In Viola, Mariia Bogodist

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Mariia Bogodist performed a Master of Music viola recital at eight o'clock in the evening on Thursday, March 22, 2012, in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center's Davis Hall. Pianist Elena Lyalina, flautist Bridget Hill, and harpist Acacia Scott collaborated with Ms. Bogodist to present selected works by various composers. The program opened with the viola arrangement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite for Unaccompanied Cello No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008, followed by Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 14 7 by Dmitry Shostakovich. The second half opened with Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp, L. 13 7 by Claude …

Correlation Between Science Process Skills Proficiency In Pre-Service Elementary Teachers And Academic Achievement, Laura Witt Dawson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Inquiry has been an essential part of science education since the Alphabet Curriculum was published. Science process skills (SPS) were first defined in 1968 and today SPS are the skills of inquiry. These skills are central to science education, and should be part of the curriculum at every level, from elementary to post-secondary school. In order to successfully teach SPS to students, teachers must have a thorough understanding of both sets of skills. This study focused on the pre-service elementary teacher population and investigated this population's SPS proficiency. This study investigated inquiry-based courses for pre-service elementary teachers, and focused on …

Before Words, There Were Leaves: A Collection Of Poems, Jason Bradford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The poems in this thesis explore ideas of habitation, animality, humanity, community, and the inevitable disconnection experienced by the lack of communication between the interior and exterior. These poems attempt to construct the in between. The "I" character of these poems lives with several animals and insects throughout the sequence of these poems. The "I" character identifies something valuable in these beings, something unknowable outside the realm of physical coexistence. The same can be said of the animals, who seem to find comfort, sustenance, and kinship with the "I" character. The "house" becomes a blending of the interior and exterior, …

Bullying Policies In Iowa Schools, Terri A. Buettell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This review examines research on bullying. Bullying is defined, along with the various roles filled by children, including bully, assistant, reinforcer, defender, outsider, or victim. The outcomes for participants and the systems in which they interact are cause for action. Bullying usually occurs in the school setting, making it an appropriate environment for intervention. Components of successful programs are discussed, specifically, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), and Bully Busters, highlighting the successes associated with them and the importance of the teacher's role, along with increasing awareness in the school, organizational strategies, and rewards and consequences …

Literacy, Autism, And Inclusion, Bridgett L. Hodges

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Young children with significant developmental disabilities can be taught sophisticated literacy skills and many interventions have been shown effective in the research. However, there is a lack of research that looks at the effect of inclusion on literacy with respect to a single student. This study will investigate the influence of an inclusive, general education classroom on the literacy learning of a student with autism. A participant observer approach will be employed in order to collect the following data: in depth interviews and observations of a single individual over a fifteen hour period, and a qualitative case study design will …

Teachers’ Efficacy And Perceived Role In Dropout Prevention, Brent O'Rourke

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Researchers have studied potential reasons behind high school dropout for many years. This research has primarily focused on characteristics inherent to the student and has typically labeled them as being the main determinants for why students decide to drop out. Certainly student characteristics are important when looking at dropout, however there are other factors external to the student that may contribute to their leaving school. One such factor would be other individuals that students deal with on a daily basis while at school. Teachers may play a very important role in preventing school dropout. By interacting positively with students, especially …

Disordered Eating Habits And Extreme Weight Loss Techniques In Collegiate Wrestlers: A Qualitative Analysis, Jaime Marie Mayer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Eating disorders are a common concern for the general public, especially with adolescent teenagers, however the difficulty with eating disorders is the diagnosis. Eating disorders have been classified into three different types, which can also be broken down further into sub-types. Diagnoses were originally based on clinical observation and were then refined by expert opinion, and the review of research (Grilo, Devlin, Cachelin & Yanovski, 1997). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychological Association, 2000; First, Frances & Pincus, 2002) labels the three types of eating disorders as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and eating …

MáS Profundo En El Laberinto Del Fauno: Un AnáLisis De Las Funciones HistóRicas Y ContemporáNeas De Cuentos De Hadas, Catherine M. Brix-Trogdon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

When Pan's Labyrinth opened in 2006 the Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was relatively unknown among U.S. film connoisseurs and critics. Although the film opened first in Mexico and Spain, it immediately received international attention in spite of the film not being dubbed into English. In this way, the film's success is particularly noteworthy because it overcame the barriers often associated with a non-English international film. Viewers are immediately drawn to the protagonist, Ofelia, beginning with her daydreams and fairy tales before the film becomes a complicated narrative in which reality and fantasy collide. This pushes the viewer to look …

A Wave Frozen In Bone And Flesh, Tiffany L. Bullen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

"A Wave Frozen in Bone and Flesh" is a collection of 43 poems.

The Effects Of Interpersonal Violent Imagery Upon Short Term Memory Recall, Stacilyn Chananie-Hill

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In today's world media are omnipresent. Over the last decade an individual's exposure to media has increased at an exponential rate. Additionally, the levels of violence in media available for public consumption have also increased. A good deal of research has been conducted on media violence, television violence, televised sexual content and amount of television watched by those in their respective studies. Researchers are beginning to understand that exposure to violent media is associated with problematic memory recall. Given that most individuals that live in homes in first world countries are consistently exposed to multiple media sources it is of …

A Master Of Music Recital In Flute, Abi Coffer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Abi Coffer performed a Master of Music Flute Recital at six o'clock in the evening on Friday, February 24, 2012 in Davis Hall, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. Ms. Coffer opened the recital with a work from the Baroque era, the melancholy Fantasie no. 12 in g minor for solo flute by Georg Philipp Telemann. For the next piece, Ms. Coffer was joined by faculty pianist Polina Khatsko in a performance of a twentieth-century, three movement Sonata by Jindrich Feld. After a brief intermission, Ms. Coffer resumed the program with an Andalusian folk inspired piece by Cristobal Halffter for solo …

A Qcm-Adhering Bacillus Anthracis Soil Phage Assemblage Is Less Diverse Than A Total B. Anthracis Soil Phage Assemblage, Gabriel David Connell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Recently, phages have been used as affinity reagents in quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based biodetection methods. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize a Bacillus cereus group soil-phage assemblage, which was isolated from 5 grams of local topsoil, and compare its population structure to that of a similar phage assemblage that had been additionally selected by adhering to a QCM electrode. Viruses aren't well-defined in terms of 'species', therefore operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were defined by structural protein profiles from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). We were able to obtain a conservative estimate of soilphage 'species' richness …

The Colonization And Conservation Genetics Of The Rainbow Darter, Etheostoma Caeruleum, In Northeast Iowa, Dane Jonathan Davis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The aim of this project was to study the population genetic structure of the rainbow darter, Etheostorna caeruleum, distributed in northeastern Iowa rivers. Overall, Iowa sustains a wide array of physical habitats and varying fish assemblage conditions that are influenced by climate and the geology of the landscape. The chief objective of the research was to increase knowledge of nongame species movement that can aid managers in conservation. This project addresses the question: What is the population genetic structure, amount of gene flow, and level of connectivity between populations of Etheostorna caeruleum distributed in northeast Iowa. Specimens were collected from …

Early Avian Colonization In A Prairie Biofuel Project, James T. Mason

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The steady decline of grassland bird populations has been attributed to agricultural intensification. The establishment of native prairie vegetation for biomass fuel has potential to reverse this decline. The Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa is investigating the potential of perennial native vegetation as a biofuel feedstock. In the spring of 2009, research plots located in seven previously row cropped fields in Black Hawk County, Iowa, were seeded with one of four treatments of native vegetation: 1) switchgrass monoculture, 2) five native warm-season grasses, 3) 16 native species, and 4) 32 native species. Treatments were replicated four …

Comparing Middle School Students' Learning And Attitudes In Face-To-Face And Online Mathematics Lessons, Clayton M. Edwards

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Online learning has become a staple within education for college students, and has started to enter high schools. While this instructional delivery system has been shown to work for older students, few studies have involved middle school students. If this trend toward online teaching of younger students continues, online learning could become a large part of education for middle school students, making research in this area important.

Multiple positive and negative aspects have been identified for online learning. Positive characteristics include individualized pacing; electronic resources, and the opportunity for rapid or personalized feedback, while negative aspects address increased student responsibility …